Everyday
Economics
“How do the systems of the world shape the choices of your life?”
“Every economic decision is a personal one. Every personal finance choice is shaped by economic forces.”
Four verbs. Every unit. Every lesson.
Decide
Units 1–2
How do people, businesses, and governments make choices under scarcity? What systems govern those choices — and who do they serve?
Earn
Unit 3
What determines income? How does the government take its cut? What do the Fed and fiscal policy mean for your actual paycheck?
Grow
Units 4–5
How does money multiply — and who gets left out? How do global trade forces shape the value of everything you own?
Protect
Units 6–7
What threatens wealth? How do you build a financial life that survives loss, fraud, debt, and the forces that work against ordinary people?
Every lesson. Every day. Never the same twice.
Five non-negotiable steps shape every single day of the course — but the story, the document, and the activity are always different.
Table Document
Pre-class
A physical artifact in every desk folder before students arrive — a graph, map, receipt, data table, photo, or primary source. Students pick it up and start interpreting.
Hook Question
0–5 min
One genuine provocation on the board. Students write before instruction starts. No right answer — real disagreement. The hook connects directly to the document on their desk.
Guided Notes
5–25 min
20–25 minutes of active instruction. Format adapts to content each day — diagrams, timelines, case matrices, decision trees. Story first. Definition second. Never fully blank, never fully filled in.
Inquiry Activity
25–47 min
Eight adaptive archetypes — Evidence Dossier, Allocation Simulation, Case File, Data Investigation, Debate Prep, Personal Audit, Timeline Reconstruction, Pressure Test — taught through rotating strategies: Lines of Contention, Fishbowl, Gallery Walk, Four Corners, Jigsaw, and more.
Debrief
47–50 min
One question that returns to the hook with new vocabulary. Never fully resolved — always leaves something hanging that creates anticipation for tomorrow.
7 Units. One Semester. Every SSEC Standard.
Each unit blends stories from the past, real-world examples from today, and decisions about tomorrow — mapped to Georgia's AKS standards day by day.
Choices, Systems & Your Future
The economic lens on every decision you'll ever make: scarcity, opportunity cost, factors of production, economic systems, standard of living, and the post-high-school decision matrix.
SSEC.17a–21e
Supply & Demand
How prices emerge from the push and pull of supply and demand — shifters, equilibrium, elasticity, price controls, market structures, and the business cycle.
SSEC.31a, 32a–34c
Work, Wages, Taxes & the Fed
What determines your paycheck — labor markets, human capital, gross vs. net, the 1040, the Federal Reserve, monetary and fiscal policy, and building your own budget.
SSEC.22a–f, 25a–b, 28a–c, 35a–36b
Saving, Investing & Risk
Why saving beats waiting, how compound interest multiplies money, savings vehicles and bonds, speculation and bubbles, retirement accounts, crypto, and risk in real markets — capped by the Stock Market Challenge launch.
SSEC.23a–e, 24a–e
Global Trade & Exchange Rates
Why nations trade, tariffs and trade barriers, Georgia's role in global trade, exchange rates, and how international forces reach directly into your own investment portfolio.
SSEC.37a–c, 38a–b
Credit, Debt & Big Purchases
Credit reports and scores, redlining and access, revolving vs. installment debt, APR and amortization, rent vs. buy, student loans, car buying, bankruptcy, and generational wealth — capped by the Future Budget presentations.
SSEC.21a–e, 24a–e, 26a–e
Insurance & Consumer Protection
Why insurance exists and how it's priced, identity theft and investment scams, consumer protection agencies, and a closing course reflection — ending in the semester final exam.
SSEC.27a–d, 29a–c, 30a–d
What is Economics?
The hook
“Why does a bottle of water cost $1.25 in the hallway but $6.00 at a Braves game — and why do you pay it?”
Table Document
A grocery receipt comparing the same basket of items in 2019 vs. 2024, total circled in red: "+$12.02. Why?"
Hook Question
The stadium-water question above — students write a gut reaction before any instruction begins.
Guided Notes
A balance-scale diagram (unlimited wants vs. limited resources) and the Three Questions Every Economy Answers, worked through live using the hallway vending machine as the example.
Inquiry Activity
Students analyze four real scenarios — Braves water, the egg crisis, an unchanged vending-machine price, college tuition — then map their own last 24 hours onto a resource-use pie chart.
Debrief
"You paid nothing for this class today. What is the actual cost of you being here right now?" Left hanging — answered by Friday.
Debrief
That question has a precise economic answer. You'll be able to give it by Friday.
Aug 5 – Dec 18, 2026 · 80 scheduled days
Tap any day to see what's actually taught. Every lesson, exam, flex day, and break is mapped out for the full semester.
August 2026
September 2026
October 2026
November 2026
December 2026
Lesson · U1·D01
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
What is Economics?
Two capstones. Built across the full semester.
Stock Market Challenge
Trade $100K in simulated capital while Unit 5's tariffs and exchange rates move the market in real time.
- Minimum 8 stocks across 3 sectors — at least 1 international
- Weekly portfolio memos: buy/sell reasoning + macro connection
- Unit 5 live connection: a new tariff is announced — which holdings are hit?
- Final debrief graded on reasoning, not performance
Future Budget Simulation
Research a real career, salary, and monthly budget — then present it like you're pitching a financial advisor.
- Researched salary, full net pay, and a real housing decision from real listings
- Transportation, debt repayment, and a full monthly budget
- 30-year compound interest projection on monthly surplus
- Net worth snapshots at Year 1, Year 5, and Year 10
- A one-page generational wealth reflection
- A 3-minute oral presentation to the class
See how markets work.
Tap an event below and watch supply, demand, and the market price respond.
Equilibrium — Price: $4.22 · Quantity: 53
Tap an event
100% AKS Coverage
Every SSEC standard, mapped to the unit and lesson day where it's taught.